What Rob Reider's Mime Workshops Involve

Updated

Rob Reider's mime workshops are the teaching side of a practice built on stage performance. According to his site, he offers "mime performances and workshops that deliver the highest quality, clean family entertainment," and he credits his technique to three teachers: Marcel Marceau, Thomas Leabhart, and Tony Montanaro. If you are weighing a workshop for yourself or a group, the practical takeaway is this: expect a family-friendly, technique-based introduction to mime taught by a working performer, with content drawn from a classical mime lineage. The site does not publish a syllabus, duration, age range, or fee, so those details need to be confirmed directly before booking.

What the site actually says

The homepage lists "Shows & Workshops" as a single section and describes the workshop offering in the same sentence as the performance offering. That is the main structural clue: workshops are not a separate product line with its own page, but a companion to the show.

The About section adds the substance behind the teaching claim:

  • Reider says he has "dedicated myself to creating mime performances and workshops."
  • He describes using "the time honored techniques handed down to me by my teachers."
  • Those teachers are named as Marcel Marceau, Thomas Leabhart, and Tony Montanaro.
  • He frames the work as drawing on "our common, universal understanding" and aimed at "dissolving cultural barriers into laughter."

A testimonial from Angela Caplan describes a performance as "polished and poised" and notes that "a single performer with a cultivated skill AND a big heart can effect so many." That speaks to the performance, not the workshop, but it is the only third-party description of his work on the page.

What that implies about the workshop content

Because the site ties the workshops to the same technique base as the shows, the reasonable expectation is that a workshop covers foundational mime vocabulary rather than performance booking logistics. The named teachers point toward specific traditions:

Teacher What the association suggests
Marcel Marceau Classic French mime vocabulary — illusion, character, and the silent solo form
Thomas Leabhart Corporeal mime — body-focused, movement-based training
Tony Montanaro American mime tradition, often blending mime with improvisation and audience connection

The performance description also mentions juggling, balloon animals, and improvisation alongside mime. Whether any of those appear in a workshop is not stated, so treat that as an open question rather than an assumption.

Who this likely suits

Based on the language used — "clean family entertainment," "uplift humanity," "dissolving cultural barriers" — the workshops appear positioned for general audiences, schools, and community or family events rather than professional mime training. That is an inference from the site's own framing, not a stated policy.

If you are considering a workshop, the useful questions to ask are the ones the site leaves open:

  • Format: Is it a hands-on participation session, a demonstration, or a mix?
  • Group size and age range: The site gives no minimum or maximum.
  • Length: Not stated.
  • Space and setup: Not stated.
  • Cost and travel: No pricing signals appear anywhere on the page.

How to move forward

The site provides a "Book Now" link and a "Contact" link in its navigation, which are the intended paths for workshop inquiries. Since none of the operational details are published, the fastest route to a decision is to send a message with your event date, audience size and age range, and what you want participants to walk away with — then ask him to confirm format, length, and fee in writing.